Nigeria urged to use hidden, unused money to fund PHC

 

 

By AKOR SYLVESTER-Abuja

 

The Federal and state governments have been urged to search well and released any hidden and unused money and channel it to financing Primary Health Care in the country in order to met the set goal of universal health coverage.

 

This is as Nigeria Governors’ Forum said achieving the universal health coverage would be a mirage if primary health care financing is not giving top priority in the country.

 

The Governor of Nassarawa State, Abdullahi Sule who spoke at the  Primary Health Care financing Forum organised by the Nigeria Governors ‘ Forum and Health Commissioners in Abuja Wednesday, said there are money that are redundant and hidden in the country, urging federal government to find a away of getting them out and channel them to primary health care delivery in the country.

 

He said; we have hidden and unused money in the country. We should find a way of finding them out to be used in financing primary health care. This will help us also in achieving universal health coverage.

 

” If sugar poses health challenges to us, we should use sugar money to fund health. Used vehicles imported to this country is also a problem. They pollute the country. There should be a legislature to use resources for these vehicles to fund health”, he said.

 

Meanwhile, while reading the address of the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Kayode Fayemi, the Nassarawa state governor, said “until we address the issue of poor funding for health and the fragmentation of the health financing arrangements in Nigeria, we will make little headway in our pursuit for Universal Health Coverage”.

 

According to him, “It is a fact that the right to health is a fundamental human right. However, the ability of our country to guarantee this right for all Nigerians has been slow, largely due to how the health system is financed and delivered.

 

“This has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic which has exposed significant weaknesses in our health sector, especially in Primary Healthcare. As we now know, countries with strengthened primary health care systems are better equipped to respond.

 

“Therefore, the challenge before us, is ensuring primary health care in Nigeria is financed sustainably to ensure risk protection, adequate infrastructure and human resources and the delivery of quality health services.

 

“To solve the problem of financing for primary health care and meet the demands for a responsive and high-performing health system, we must approach PHC financing and service delivery with four key focuses in mind:

 

“The utilisation of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) to finance essential health services, especially for the vulnerable and to improve the country’s capacity to address public health emergencies.

 

“Consolidate funding to address primary care and essential public health functions.

 

“An increase in budgetary allocations for healthcare both at the national and State levels.

 

“The exploration of innovative ways to pool funds for non-contributory healthcare coverage”.

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Continuing, he said “It is encouraging to know that varying degrees of effort is already in place to achieve some of these focuses.

 

“For instance, a good number of States have established their State Health Insurance Schemes and have purchased explicit packages of health services for their citizens.

 

“States are also increasingly taking advantage of the BHCPF programme to expand access to primary health care and service delivery. Some States like Ekiti are working with partners to adequately quantify the medium- and long-term costs of providing a Basic Package of Health Services for vulnerable groups to ensure sustainability and evidence-driven financing”.

 

The forum chairman however said, for these efforts to achieve population-level outcomes, the country must collectively encourage and catalyse them at scale.

 

He noted that for this reason, the Nigerian Governors Forum at the recent launch of the Primary Health Care Leadership Challenge committed to a progressive increase in State-level funding for primary health care through the provision of efficient budgetary allocation that aligns with the annual operational plans.

 

NGF  boss said the forum remained  committed to working with the Federal Government and all partners to achieve the goals for primary healthcare and universal health coverage.

 

 

He maintained that  “Our partnership in eradicating Polio, and the inclusion of health-focused presentations in the monthly NGF meeting agenda, are examples of great collaboration, which must be sustained and built upon,”.

 

On his part, the governor-elect of Ekiti State, Mr Biodun Oyebanji said the Alma-Ata Declaration made it clear that primary health care is the pathway to attaining health for all.

 

He stated that “this declaration launched a movement that has driven global efforts to achieve universal health coverage through the provision of quality and comprehensive healthcare for all individuals without financial burden to them.

 

“Primary Health Care as we know, emphasizes community-based health services that are designed to meet the needs of the people throughout their lives, through prevention, health promotion, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care”.

 

The Governor-elect assured that his state will work with the forum to ensure that the nation achieve Universal Health Coverage.